Chargers go offense on third day

Rounds 4-7

Ladarius Green

Position: Tight end

College: Louisiana-Lafayette

Height, weight: 6-6, 238

Outlook: Scouts talk about potential. This guy has it. Easily among the most athletic receiving tight ends in the draft. The raw skills do need some honing. He must continue to fill out his frame and improve his blocking. But given the size, speed and natural catching ability, the upside exists for an eventual impact player.

Johnnie Troutman

Position: Guard

College: Penn State

Height, weight: 6-4, 327

Outlook: The Chargers did their homework here. Yes, in 2011, he was charged with driving under the influence. Yes, he dealt with knee issues and recently had pectoral surgery. All that factored into why Troutman was available in Round 5. But the Chargers believe those maturity issues are behind him, and with his on-field ability, the health can prove worth the wait.

David Molk

Position: Center

College: Michigan

Height, weight: 6-2, 287

Outlook: Molk won the 2011 Rimington Trophy, awarded to the nation’s best center, but was the fifth center drafted. Call it a pleasant surprise. The Chargers were glad to swoop in and take the Combine’s top bench-press performer among the offensive linemen (41 reps at 225 pounds). Shorter height and a charted injury history contributed to his fall, but he’s tough as nails, playing through a torn tendon at the Sugar Bowl. Backup center Colin Baxter will have competition.

Edwin Baker

Position: Running back

College: Michigan State

Height, weight: 5-8, 205

Outlook: Baker, nicknamed “Rock,” was the Spartans’ workhorse in 2010, rushing for 1,201 yards with 13 touchdowns. His role lessened last year as a physical change of pace to LeVeon Bell, and he declared for the draft a year early. Baker will find plenty of competition in camp, including a potential veteran free agent yet to come, but he’ll have his chance to compete for an NFL roster spot.

A defensive draft struck a different chord in its Saturday finale.

Beginning with an athletic tight end coveted for his receiving potential, the Chargers added four offensive players in the final rounds of the three-day NFL Draft.

Along with Louisianna-Lafayette’s Ladarius Green in the fourth round, San Diego selected Penn State guard Johnnie Troutman in the fifth, and in the seventh, Michigan center David Molk and Michigan State running back Edwin “Rock” Baker.

The Chargers, in the two days prior, drafted former South Carolina outside linebacker Melvin Ingram, Connecticut defensive end Kendall Reyes and LSU strong safety Brandon Taylor.

“Each of these guys,” coach Norv Turner said, “there’s a place for them to come in and compete and have an impact on our team in some way. Each of the seven guys bring a unique physical presence, and that’s a positive for me.”

The Chargers have been searching for a young receiving tight end.

Green fits the bill.

At 6-foot-6 and 238 pounds, he ran a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine, the second fastest time at his position. In his final career game, he caught five passes for 121 yards and a score against San Diego State at the New Orleans Bowl.

Green called joining a team with tight end Antonio Gates “an amazing feeling.”

“When I got picked, that was the first thing I thought about — I get to work with him,” Green said in a phone interview. “I get to learn a lot from him. It’s just a great honor to be able to go in and have a veteran who’ll help you and work with you.”

Green’s skills are considered still raw with strides to make as an inline blocker, and he’ll continue to add bulk onto his frame. But his natural talent as a receiver makes him a high-upside prospect.

His arrival stiffens the competition for a roster spot between Kory Sperry, Brad Taylor and free-agent signing Dante Rosario. Gates and Randy McMichael top the position’s depth chart.

For the past several months, the Chargers have taken a good look at Troutman.

His on-field career was impressive.

The left guard didn’t allow a sack in 32 career starts, a period spanning 1,085 passing plays. The 6-foot-4, 327-pound Troutman had a clean sheet as senior, not allowing a penalty on 885 plays or a quarterback pressure on 381 pass attempts.

But in January, he dealt with knee tendinitis that limited him in the pre-draft process, including at the Senior Bowl where the Chargers scouted and first approached him.

And in 2011, Troutman was charged with driving under the influence, an initial concern in the evaluation process.

“Then we got in the middle of it, and after we went through it and talked to people, we determined that the young man made a mistake,” General Manager A.J. Smith said. “We’re comfortable with it. We have an investigative process we do, and there’s another with NFL security that we use, and a third one that’s independent that we use if we need it.

“If we weren’t comfortable with any of these guys, they wouldn’t be Chargers. Once you become a Charger, we watch you. Sometimes, it’s just kids being kids. Everybody’s looking for every little thing, but we’re comfortable with this kid.”

Molk won the 2011 Rimington Trophy as the nation’s top center.

Yet he was the fifth taken in the draft.

Part of the reason was his shorter frame at 6-foot-1, 298 pounds. There is also an injury history, including a torn foot tendon suffered pre-game to the Sugar Bowl in January.

But Molk has all the intangibles, and in camp, he’ll compete with Colin Baxter for the backup center job behind Nick Hardwick.

Molk, torn tendon and all, played the entire Sugar Bowl — well, after the first series.

“My leg was still numb,” Molk said. “I was waiting for it wake up. My backup went in, and we had three bad snaps and five yards of negative offense. I decided I’d go back in …

“It’s kind of what I hang my hat on. I’m not the biggest, but I’ll hit you. I’ll hit you over and over and over again until I win.”

Baker is a physical running back at 5-foot-8 and 208 pounds.

The early-entry junior was a first-team All-Big Ten player as a sophomore before his role was reduced to a powerful change-of-pace rusher in a crowded backfield.

He’ll join the competition for a backup running back spot. A veteran free agent could also be added before camp.